The Boys from Derby: "The Octopus" by Gill and PAM

Dig it, Groove-ophiles! There was so much buzz goin' on in Groove City the last time we planted our peepers on a Joe Gill/Pete Morisi Vengeance Squad masterpiece, we gon' do it again! Here's "The Octopus" from Vengeance Squad #3 (which hit the spinner racks on Groove's 12th birthday, August 26, 1975)!

The Boys from Derby: "The Informer!" by Gill and PAM

Dig it, Groove-ophiles! Cop and detective shows were big in the 1970s (as they still are), but for some reason, comics rarely tried their hands at the crime-drama genre. Yeah, the easy answer is, "They all flopped, Groove," but if they'd been given a chance, some of 'em might have caught on. Take Charlton's Vengeance Squad. Yeah, the real "star" of the mag was Nick Cuti and Joe Staton's brilliant back-up strip, Michael Mauser (which you can dig on if you'll take the time to look up those sensational strips in our index), but Vengeance Squad, especially beginning with ish #2 (June 1975), was a really cool strip in its own right. Why "beginning with ish #2"? 'Cause writer/creator Joe Gill was joined by the immensely talented and criminally underrated (ironic considering he was a cop moonlighting in comics) Pet Morisi aka PAM on the art. PAM's style was perfect for the strip. Ol' Groove sees a unique mix of Alex Toth and George Tuska in a slick newspaper strip style that really brought the cool to Eric Redd and his aides Candy Orr and Tulsa Coyle's adventures. Here's there story from that far-out second ish, "The Informer!"

Black and White Wednesday: "The Blood-Colored Motorbike!" by Jose Bea

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! Ah, summertime! Bet a lot of ya would like to hop on a motorbike and take a ride to the beach, the lake, or the mountains right about now. Do you want it as bad as Cesare Santoni? We sure hope not! Ol' Cesare got the well-deserved ride of his life in this more-graphically-violent-than-normal fear-fable by Jose Bea! Strap on your helmet (maybe that'll help) as you read..."The Blood-Colored Motorbike!" from Creepy #61 (cover-dated April 1974)...

The Boys from Derby: "The Frame" by Cuti and Staton

What it is, Groove-ophiles! Today we're gonna hit those mean streets with Nick Cuti and Joe Staton's Michael Mauser! From Vengeance Squad #5 (December 1975), prepare yourself for..."The Frame"!

Bring on the Back-ups: "The Hit" by Cuti and Staton

Hey, hey, hey, Groove-ophiles! I canNOT believe I haven't run more of E-Man's pal Michael Mauser's back-ups from Charlton's Vengeance Squad mag. However, though Ol' Groove might be kinda forgetful, he does get around to making amends, so... Here's "The Hit" by creators Nick Cuti and Joe Staton from Vengeance Squad #2 (July 1975). Enjoy!